Welding up a sun roof hole

[Razor454]

Has anyone ever attemped to weld the top portion of the cab? My truck has a 16" by 30" sunroof in it and I want to fill it back in.
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[SS Tim]

There is no easy solution here. The best without welding on an entire roof section is probably replacing the roof panel but then there is still the hole on the inside. A headliner would make that problem go away though, I would however tack a sheet patch first.

The cab, during manufacture has spotwelds along the rear roof seam. Both the inner and outer roof panels are spot welded prior to assembly with the finshed flanges facing each other along the upper rear (above the dome lamp) of the cab hidden from view.

There was an article published about replacing the outer panel using structural adhesive. The pictures alone are worth looking at no matter what method of repair you are using.

sokyclassics.com/pdf/roof_skin.pdf

Hope this helps some.

[68gmsee]

Or,, If you can locate a junker or donor cab that has a decent top center you can cut the sections and reweld them on yours. Probably can post in the want to buy section.

I would measure the hole and if you find a donor cut the sections slighty larger and recut as needed.

oops- saw where you already measured it.

[SS Tim]

True it would be posssible, but most people can not weld such a low double crown panel and really do a passable job.

[Razor454]

Are you trying to say it will it warp too much when welding in the hole only?

[SS Tim]

Well yes, there is warpage and expansion to deal with along with the formed double curvature shape of the roof. Did you look at the pictures at the download link?
http://sokyclassics.com/pdf/roof_skin.pdf
There are some pictures there showing some really bad welding.
If you went to a body shop they would probably tell you they needed to replace both the inner and outer roof panels and that is a lot of work/money.

[black_sheep454]

If you attempt it just remember slow and steady wins the race. Small tack welds moving all around and don't put another tack on until the one on both sided are cooled down.
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[bk2life]

pull the windows, cut the roof pillars, put new junk yard roof on. only weld the pillars, alot easier, 100 hrs less body work, put windows back in.

[wild4wheels]

I did it on a 67 Panel. Consulted a local bodyshop and they said the same thing- trying to weld it would probably warp it. They suggested (it was new at the time) the body panel adhesive that Toyota was using to put body panels together. So I got a donor roof section, a crimping tool and the two part body panel epoxy. Had to borrow the gun from the body shop but it worked good! Even my body shop instructor was impressed! Crimped the edges so the new panel would sit flush, predrilled the holes every few inches around the edge. Pulled the panel out, laid down a bead of adhesive, reinstalled the panel then put in flush sheet metal screws. Had to sit for several hours- I believe I was told not to drive it for 24 hrs. Very little filler was needed as I really took a long time cutting the donor piece to fit as tight as possible. Hope that helps

[bigsnookmaster]

Originally Posted by bk2life

pull the windows, cut the roof pillars, put new junk yard roof on. only weld the pillars, alot easier, 100 hrs less body work, put windows back in.

X-2 on this method! I've done it twice. If you have fab skills, this is the easiest way. It's alot easier to weld the posts than on the top, and the finish work is alot easier. If you do this, put filler strips in the back posts, so you have something to weld to if you have gaps. You probably will! P.M. me if you have any questions, and I can walk you through it,

[BarryB]

I'm dealing with the same issue. I had got a roof skin from another truck. was going to cut the spot welds around drip rail and cut it about an inch from the pinch weld across back. then fit new roof skin and start slowly tacking it back on. If figured it best to keep the welds closer to the seams to the warping to a minimal. Now the inside I was going to make a headliner for it. after I secured the sheetmetal around the hole.

[Razor454]

Thanks for all the information, I'm still on the fence about welding it up, I'm good at welding, but I'm still worried about warpage. Is there a technic for fabing a piece of metal into the hole? I,ve seen guys chop tops where they have to cut "pie" shape pieces to fit the roof back. Thanks
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[SS Tim]

Low crown and compound curves pretty much dictate a new panel or a cut section from an old roof. Trying to work a flat piece into shape it going to be a a lot of work in itself, but is possible.